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GRE Prep Online Guides and Tips

If you’re planning to take the GRE in 2018 or 2019, you may want to start preparing your GRE schedule. Unfortunately, ETS only releases GRE test dates about a year in advance. However, we’ve done the hard work of scouring past test date patterns to predict future GRE testing dates.

This guide predicts the 2018-2019 GRE test dates with a fair amount of certainty, and we’ll update the test dates when there’s new information from ETS. We’ll also discuss the importance of planning when you’re going to take the general GRE and give you four important factors to consider when deciding on your GRE exam date.

Computer GRE Test Dates 2018 – 2019

The computer-based GRE is offered throughout the year at official Prometric testing centers. There are also some non-Prometric test centers that provide computer GRE testing. You can only take the computer-based general GRE once every 21 days and up to five times in one 365-day period, so you’ll need to plan out your GRE test-taking carefully (more on that later).

For all computer GRE tests (unless you’re taking it in China) you can see what dates are offered at a particular test center through the GRE test centers website.

On the website, select your country, state/province, and city to see the availability of GRE test centers near you. For most computer-based testing centers you’ll see “Year-round continuous testing, depending on seat availability,” followed by a link labeled “Check seat availability”.

Click on the “Check Seat Availability” link to go to the next page. You’ll have to enter your address again, but then you’ll get a complete list of test centers near you (by distance); to see the GRE test schedules, you’ll need to look at each test center one at a time.

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Choosing Your Best GRE Test Date for 2018-2019

So how can you figure out what the best dates are for taking the GRE? Use the four criteria listed below to help you decide.

#1: Are You Taking the Computer- or Paper-Based GRE?

For the most part, where you live determines which type of GRE you can take – some locations only offer the paper GRE, while others only offer computer-based GRE testing. Know which is the case for you and plan accordingly.

If you live in an area where you’ll have to take a paper-based GRE, you’ll only have three chances to take it each year. By contrast, if you can take the computer GRE, there’s usually much more flexibility (and you don’t have to register quite as far in advance, since there are more dates available). In either case, try to register at least two months in advance to make sure you get the date and time you want.

#2: Are You Registering for the GRE Online or By Mail?

If you need to apply for Monday GRE testing, disability or health accommodations, or a supplementary test center location, you’ll need to register for the GRE by paper, rather than online. This means that you’re going to need to leave extra time before the normal GRE registration date for your paperwork to arrive and be processed. While there is already an earlier registration date for paper registrations, it’s a good idea to get your information into ETS even earlier in case you need to make any alterations.

How does this affect which test you choose? Let’s say that the October GRE test registration deadline is only a week away – you’ll probably be better off registering for the November or February GRE instead to give your registration materials enough time to get there and get processed.

#3: When Will You Be Most Prepared to Take the GRE?

You don’t want to throw away your money on the GRE testing fee by taking it without any preparation, or not giving yourself enough time to prepare.

Be sure to take a realistic practice GRE and determine what the test score standards are for the programs you’re applying to, then determine how much time you need to close the gap between the two (if there is a gap).

#4: When Are Your Application Deadlines?

Chances are you’re not just taking the GRE for fun – you’re taking it to apply to some sort of program (whether it’s graduate school or some other post-collegiate program). When you’re planning out your GRE schedule, you’ll need to know by when you need to send your scores to the programs you’re applying to.

Don’t take the GRE so close to the application date that you don’t have time to retake it if necessary (or, worse, so close that the program won’t receive your scores). Give yourself at least four to six months before your application deadline to take the GRE.

2018-2019 Paper GRE Test Dates and Deadlines

In most of the United States (with the exception of some U.S. Territories), you can only take the computerized GRE. But if you live in an area of the world where there are no computer GRE test centers, you’ll have to register to take the paper-based general GRE test.

You can take the paper general GRE as often as it’s offered (unlike the computer-based GRE test), but there are also stricter registration deadlines. We’ll go into what the deadlines for paper-based GRE regular and late registration are in the table below.

Paper-Based GRE Test Dates 2018-2019 by Location

Based on past years’ test dates and deadlines, we’ve projected the general GRE test dates and registration deadlines for 2018-2019. Please be sure to read the notes about projection accuracy further on in the article.

In the tables below, you’ll see the GRE schedule for the testing year 2018-2019 listed by date and location. The dates when a test center offers the GRE are marked with a “Y” – if there’s no Y, then there’s no general GRE on that test date at that test center.

How to Use These GRE Test Date Projections

For the most part, these predicted test dates should be correct. Like with all projections, however, there will always be some margin of error. If the dates are off, they’ll be off by exactly a week – so at the very least, you can plan on taking the paper-based GRE in October or November of 2018 or February of 2019.

Plan using the dates above and, within a year of the planned test date, check with the ETS website for official dates. As long as you’re not betting your life on it, the above dates should give you a good idea of future GRE exam dates.

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Author: Laura Staffaroni

Laura graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Music and Psychology, and earned a Master's degree in Composition from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and GRE and loves advising students on how to excel and fulfill their college and grad school dreams.
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